Midnight Sun's Fallen Angel Golden Ale is a traditional Belgian-style golden strong ale--deep gold in color with tiny, conniving bubbles forming a very thick, meticulous head. Effervescent and crisp, this delicious ale tempts the palate with apple, pear and a little earthy mustiness. Its beauty and brightness is angel-like in appearance but the devil in is its strength.

User Reviews

Dry, peppery, and rather austere ale. Any traces of malty sweetness seem to have disappeared. Quite sharp and with a very thin mouthfeel. Looks quite nice with its pale lemony color and nice lacing. Tastes more like a very dry Saison seasoned with pencil shavings. Hops emerge with a long bitterness. Aroma reminds me of drying concrete.

Very coarse carbonation, which may be a product of more age than is good for it. I like this style, but I don't think this is a very good representative. The more I sip the more odd this tastes, like it has discovered a new kind of bacteria. This is not really bad beer, it is just such a peculiar and unfriendly flavor I leave it to others to decipher it.

Tasted again 01/21/2011 - Bottle marked June, presumably 2011. Rather spritzy, quite dry, just slightly hazy. Still tastes like a strong Saison with a lot of yeast and a fairly harsh Belgian funkiness.

Enjoyed out of a brown 22 oz bomber with nothing visible to mark it's bottling or "best by" date. Poured into a Boulevard Smokstack tulip glass.

Appearance - Promising start, with a brassy amber body topped by a foamy two-finger head that sticks around for several minutes before settling to a substantial one-finger froth and leaving sticky, pronounced lacing. Head is creamy white and this is overall a very beautiful beer.

Smell - First sign of a problem begins to arise with the aroma. Dominated by bitter, arresting tones of ester and the pleasant floral overtones I usually love in this style are muted. A good BSPA, in my eyes, will give me as much satisfaction, just from sticking my nose in the glass and breathing in the wonderful layers of aroma, as it does from drinking. This one really made me want to avoid breathing deeply while drinking. Disappointing.

Taste - Better than the smell, the bitterness is still present, but more subdued. Now the fruity phenols are more present as well, with some tropical fruits and a sweet yeasty characteristic, like sweetened bread. I also get a distinct flavor from the grain--it makes me think of pilsner malt in it's crispness. Alcohol heat becomes a bit more obvious as it warms.

Mouthfeel - Decent, and as expected for the style. Carbonation on the high side of moderate, with a continuous stream of bubbles rising through for the duration of the session. Medium bodied and a semi-dry finish.

Overall, just not a very good representative of the style for my money. There are so many that are easier to get and better that I'm not likely to have this one again. Hoping that the other bottle of Midnight Sun beer I have is better.

Pours a beautiful golden color with a massive fluffy white head that sticks around for 15+ minutes. Loads and loads of lacing on the way down. The beer itself is perfectly clear with plenty of visible carbonation bubbles for the duration.

Unfortunately, the rest of the beer isn't quite as good. The nose brings some very light fruit notes plus a touch of alcohol and some nice phenols. Not much depth or complexity. The flavor is quite similar. Some fruit and pepper there, but the yeast isn't expressive enough.

Body is light-medium with high carbonation and an odd dryness to the finish. It's not quite crisp given how high in carbonation it is. As it warms, this appears to be a bit of graininess and accompanying tannins.

Overall, this is just okay, though extraordinarily impressive in its Duvel-like appearance.

Polished 24-karat gold with banana peel borders and multiple streams of sparkly bubbles jetting up to a thick chunk of French vanilla colored foam. The head doesn't have much character as it melts and is leaving the glass spotless. Not a great start.

The nose has a decent amount of power and smells somewhat BSPA-like, just not well-crafted BSPA-like. Each sniff delivers a smidgen of golden fruit and comparatively less estery spiciness. Looks like there's some work to be done on the palate.

Fallen Angel is a surprisingly tame version of the style. That might mean that it has been aged for an extended period of time, but weren't bombers used for the first time this year? More aggressive yeast would have helped. Nicely buried alcohol does help.

Specifics include snappy apples with a light dusting of ground clove. That's pretty much the extent of things. The beer isn't both sweet and bitter, it's neither sweet nor bitter, which is an important distinction to make. My affinity for the style is the only thing allowing the taste score to remain above average.

The mouthfeel is nowhere near Belgianesque. It still has decent size and bubbles that do their jobs in acceptable fashion. Just like all the rest: no big negatives, no big positives.

Fallen Angel isn't a bad BSPA, just a borderline bland one. My recommendation, if the suggestion box is open, is for Midnight Sun to use a more estery, more fruit-and-spicy yeast strain. That's the only way this big brew will ever be heavenly or devilishly delicious, take your pick. Thanks again sprucetip.

A: Pours an opaque tangerine with a lively coating of grey-white head.

S: Pepper and spice, with a fruity belgian yeast backing. Very estery. A little bit of banana and clove as well. Light earthiness, and not much hop character.

T: Some kind of spice--Grains of Paradise(?). Spicy clove, banana, light fruit (pear). Boatload of esters from the yeast.Gets a bit bready as it warms, with some light candi sugar. Gingerbread-like finish after it warms.

M: Very high carbonation, a bit too much in fact. After letting it sit for a while, it has improved greatly.

D: While at first the spice and carbonation seem to be running wild, with some time the carbonation dies down and the spice becomes a bit more complex. Not my favourite beer, but still a nice example of the style.

Unlike the picture, my 22 oz. bomber just had a crown cap, but was otherwise the same, created 6-6-6. It's now over a year later - I forgot I wanted to have this last Wed, on the 6th...oh well!

Poured into my Midnight Sun cervoise, the Fallen Angel looks to be very authentic right off the bat. Huge, dense, bone colored head on top of a hazy, lightly burnt straw colored body with lots of carbonation streaming through out. The head is thick and rocky - I let it sit for a good 5+ mins and it was still in full effect. Really awesome, exactly how I want a BSPA to look.

The smell is also very true to style, lots of Belgian yeast and noble hop spice, with lemon zest, slight pineapple, and a grainy malt background that's only mildly sweet. Not to strong, but very appetizing.

Zesty yeast, husky malt, spicy hop bitterness, dry and powdery with heavy minerals, with soft tropical fruits, just very complex. The only booze is on your breath as an aftertaste, and it's pretty clean, although the rest of the finish is not, and really coats the mouth in fact. Pretty good, but a bit of a let down after the perfect look and very nice aroma. The thing I didn't really love about this one was that it was a bit too chalky/powdery/dusty. I would have liked to tried one fresh or at 6 months to see if it had the same presence originally, or the yeast just got a little too tired with age...

Mouthfeel is pretty light, creamy and effervescent. Still, not the most 'digestible' Belgian...

Drinkablity was ok. This was enjoyable, as I love the style and it was fairly well done, and I always like to try a new one. And while not my favorite, I'm really glad I got to try it. That said, 1 bomber was enough, there are just to many great beers out there! Still, it would easily pass for an authentic Belgian in a blind tasting, but wouldn't be the best.

Yippee yay, motherfucker, another Midnight Sun beer that Kyle overnighted down to us. Thanks a bunch, man! This is the new batch in bombers.

The pour is hazy orange with a thin white head with decent retention and no lacing. The nose is very tripel-like with honey, citrus, mild spice, mild grass and a yeasty spiciness. Honey is quite prominent with some clove. Was there Brett involved at some point? The palate opens mildly watery with some orange juice, clove, hay, more citrus and a mild grassiness. Thin, this beer has high carbonation and is decent, if watery. Drying on the finish with honey and clove, this is solid stuff.

Appearance: Steady but gentle pour of a little over half the bomber leaves almost 3 inches of fluffy white head. The head fades rather quickly but leaves some very nice lacing in the glass. Pretty golden orange color, with bubbles steadily streaming up from the nucleation point. A quick swirl provides a thin insta-head, which is always kind of nice.

Smell: Yeast, yeast, and more yeast. Not getting a whole lot else. Bit of spicy/pepper if I strain myself.

Taste: More yeast in the flavor, but also some pepper, vague citrus, alcohol, bread, and some cloves. A tidbit of the belgian ester. Enjoyable.

Mouthfeel: High carbonation and extremely dry. Not as bad as it sounds, but I do want a glass of water halfway through this one.

Drinkability: Not bad. I could have two glasses of this in one sitting, but am content with one. Alcohol is definitely present in the taste, but it doesn't burn.

Overall: Not a bad Duvel clone at all. It falls well short of the real thing, but it's up there with some of the better Belgian attempts. Unique in that it lacks the sweetness in many of them. I probably won't seek this one out again, but if I ever stumbled across it on tap, I'd happily order one.

Taste is a mildly sweet turn to mildly dry. Aftertaste is of a mild bitter, hops and tree bark. Something off in the flavor that remains attractive none the less. Shy of medium bodied mouthfeel.
cheers
jd

A - Poured a clear golden liquid reminiscent of a white wine with a thin, bright white head that reduced to a patchy film and minimal lacing.

S - Initial nose produces a fume of alcohol, toasted grains and a hint of citrusy hops. Belgian yeast imparts moderate spiciness with notes of clove, giving the nose a bit of an earthy flair.

T - A warm alcohol tang is first evident after my initial sip, but it is flanked by a hint of citrus rind, sharp herbal notes and a hint of sweet honey. Mild earthy notes emerge in the backend and develop into a slight mustiness amid a hint of fruity sweetness in the finish.

M - Medium bodied with a syrupy texture and minimal carbonation. Finishes with an earthy hop bite and hint of sourness on the palate.

D - Seemed a bit boozy for an 8% ABV beer. While not a small beer by any means, I felt it lacked something despite having lots going on. Perhaps it was a bit too complex for its own good.

This beer was courtesy of BrewerB, who threw it in as an extra in a recent trade! Thanks again Brian!

This beer pours a medium bodied honey gold in color, slightly cloudy, and with a beautiful two finer white creamy head. It smells of yeast, light spice, honey, and pale malts. The flavors consist of dry and tart pale malt, light honey, moderate yeast, with a moderate alcohol finish. I'm surprised the alcohol comes through in the finish. It drinks smoothly and has an interesting finish for a BSPA. It's kind of dry. Overall it's a nice beer and definitely worth a try. It's not the best BSPA I've ever had but it's worth your while. Another good beer from Midnight Sun.

Had this on tap last August at MSBC in Anchorage. The colour was cloudy and golden with very little head. The aroma was full of yeast and citrus with some spice notes. On the palate, there was a crisp feel along with a tangy character and still more yeast and citrus (tropical citrus, that is). So good I thought I should bring some bottles home to Portland!

A friend shared this with me the other night at a tasting. The pour was golden yellow, big white head, light lacing. I thought the aroma was tame for the style, frutity, peaches and pears, some alcohol. The taste is about like the nose, somewhat boozey finish, fruity. The body is medium, average carbonation, light alcohol. Pretty average for the style, nothin really stands out.

Pours a crisp golden color with a inch in ch thick white, lasting head. Smell is of yeasty malts and lemon grass, lovely. The taste is real farmhousey/belgian yeast dominating your palate. Tad of bitterness at the end. Herbal, dry finish. Very sticky. Pear is the dominant fruit flavor but its mild. Not the best of the style but pretty good. Medium bodied, medium carbonation.

Looks great out of the glass. It's a pale necatarine color, hazy. The head is a brilliant white, thick and frothy. Great retention and a sticky lace. Really an attractive beer.

They've found the Belgian scent. Classic notes of white pepper, pear, and green apple. You can almost smell the sweet, spicy flavors.

Comes up just a hair short in the taste department. Very yeasty. The pepper is dominant but never over the top. A bit of alcohol with each sip. Some hop presence in the finish.

There are layers and complexity to keep your palate guessing. There's a splash of citrusy fruit up front. The spicy pepper takes over soon after and never lets go. A savory hop character picks up from mid sip, at which point the alcohol warms things. A dry finish leaves your tongue with a bit of a warm pucker. Medium bodied and fairly tart.

One of the better beers I've had from Alaska. It's very close to something a Belgian would be proud to drink.

Fallen Angel is a solid standard beer for the style,and better than most American attempts.

The beer begins with a bright and bubbly golden-orange color with an off-white froathy head that falters half way through the session, light on lacing. The second pour from the bomber contains more sediment making the beer much more hazy than the first pour.

A nice balance of fruity esters and spicy phenols balance out wonderfully, where one doesn't allow the other to dominate. Acidic fruits of lemons, under-rippenend berries, and orange peel work well with tropical mangos, appricots, and pineapple notes. White peppery, corriander and bitter orange give rise to the complexity with the low hop additions.

A sugar-cookie doughy malt aroma and taste gives more sweetness to the beer than is expected from the style. While sweeter up front, the beer dries out wonderfully in the finish. Crisp, clean and with alcohol warmth that is amplified by the carbonation.

A bit on the sweet side, the beer could use an authentic earthy hop influence from either Belgian or German Noble varieties. Though solid, Fallen Angel doesn't seem to have that 'it' quality that separates authentic Belgian Pales from the rest of the pack.

Taste follows the nose, mildly sweet, but a distinct sourness emerges in the middle of the flavor that reveals the presence of what I believe is Brett. I just recently had an Anchorage Brewing Co. Whiteout Wit (brewed w/ Brett), and this tastes quite similar. Similar, but the flavor is smoother and sweeter overall. No trace of the alcohol.

Creamy mouthfeel, sticks to the mouth but with a decent amount of carbonation. On the flat side for a Belgian, but doesn't really hurt the beer.